1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved yarn-holding apparatus for a circular knitting machine and, more particularly, to an airflow directing device that will direct a plurality of air streams into an airflow passage to engage and maintain a plurality of yarn ends awaiting selection by the yarn feeds of a circular knitting machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional multi-feed circular knitting machines need the capability of introducing a number of different yarns at each yarn feed. The yarns are usually presented for engagement at a location within an air stream which holds the yarn ends in a stationary condition as they are selectively engaged by the yarn feeds for knitting. The most commonly used air stream is a conduit or tube into which air is generally injected along the longitudinal axis of the tube. This general flow of air throughout the tube has a tendency to cause the various yarn ends suspended therein to become tangled with each other sometimes resulting in yarn breakage. Broken yarn segments can accumulate within the tube and ultimately affect the air flow thereby causing the machine to cease operation. This results in lost production because of the downtime in cleaning the machine and implementing restart procedures.
This activity will often reoccur in the same machine within a few days or even more often--perhaps more than once during a single shift. With all knitting machines in a plant equipped with this type of yarn-holding mechanism, the entire output of the plant can be adversely impacted by the downtime involved.
Thus it is desirable to improve the yarn-holding mechanism currently in use and provide a more reliable and efficient version that will eliminate costly downtime and increase production. It is to these desirable features that the present invention is directed.